Buffer Zone of Silence

"When you approach Me in stillness and in trust, you are strengthened. You need a buffer zone of silence around you in order to focus on things that are unseen. Since I am invisible, you must not let your senses dominate your thinking. The curse of this age is over-stimulation of the senses, which blocks out awareness of the unseen world.

The tangible world still reflects My Glory, to those who have eyes that see and ears that hear. Spending time alone with Me is the best way to develop seeing eyes and hearing ears. The goal is to be aware of the unseen things even as you live out your life in the visible world."

• 2 Corinthians 4:18, "So we fix our eyes on not what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

• Isaiah 6:3, "And they were calling to one another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His Glory."

• Psalm 130:5, "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His Word I put my hope."

Young, Sarah. (2004). Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence. "June 15." pg. 174.

How Can We Not Say "Yes"?

Could it be that we try to follow in other's footsteps? Pressure? Expectations? What if being present all along; what if freedom and peace was the only a decision away? what if all you had to do was say "yes" to Him?

There is true freedom in Jesus. No one else can hold your hand (even when you choose to ignore it, or don't want it). Jesus will never give up on you.

What if you said "yes" to freedom?

There is a whole new layer on the "yes" side. Like an onion: sheer, thin, but interconnecting in independent on it's own. We know already what exists: what we can say "no" to (greed, pride, knowledge, lust...).

We only have a taste, such sweet sweet taste, of what we might say "yes" to...how can we not crave it? How can we not feel incomplete? How can we not be intoxicated with the Holy Spirit? How can we not deny His neverending love?

How can we not say "yes" to open doors to everything He has to offer? How can we turn down everlasting life?

How can we not be intoxicated, overwhelmed, submersed, blown away by Jesus' glory?

Penguine Sex (and Faith)

Last night I was reading Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality (2003) by Donald Miller. Chapter 5 opens with the heading "Penguin Sex (and Faith)." Startled and curious at the same time, I found out that Donald Miller (no relation by the way) was relating our internal voice of faith to penguins during their mating rituals.
Let me explain, although D. Miller does a much better job: penguins swim in large packs until they hit a chunk of ice. They then hop on the ice, and crawl on their belly (which carves little tunnels), until they feel the need to stop. The group of penguins (around 500+) begin something like a disco dance, finding their mate in such a large dance room. The ritual commences, the female lays the egg and hands it off to the male with her flippers. This is the interesting part: the male sits on the egg until it hatches.

Where did momma go, you ask? She's off hunting, grocery shopping, getting her nails done; you know, all the typical female busyness. She could be a hundred miles away. The males are left in the huge huddle collecting warmth with the center penguins circulating outward to keep the heat equal. As almost by maternal instinct, the female returns a month later to sift through the dance floor, find her man, and watch the babies crack the shell.

What's the point of all of this penguin talk? Have you ever felt like you had an internal radar that told you where to go, what to do, and that it all somehow made sense? Like the momma penguin showing up at the exact moment to find her babies being born, faith tends to act like an invisible radar. D. Miller explains, "I have a radar inside me that says to believe in Jesus. Somehow, penguin radar leads them perfectly well. Maybe it isn't so foolish that I follow the radar that is inside of me"(p. 57).

We all have that internal compass; that inner voice that nudges you saying "This sounds fishy," or "This is the better path." Most of us ignore our inner voice, what Christian's call the Holy Spirit, causing us to miss the highlights in our life and stray off course. Sometimes that voice comes in a whisper, you just have to be listening.

• Miller, Donald. (2003). Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality. (p. 57).Thomas Nelson, Inc.

• http://www.donaldmillerwords.com/bluelikejazz.php